Nevada’s metro areas experience drop in unemployment in December

The jobless rate in Las Vegas declined to 5 percent in December, down 0.2 percentage point over the month and, more importantly, down 1.2 percentage points over the year, said Bill Anderson, chief economist for the Research and Analysis Bureau of Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.Carson City and Reno/Sparks both saw no change over the month, with Carson City’s unemployment standing at 5.3 percent and Reno/Sparks at 4.2 percent. However, these rates represent declines of 1.4 percentage points over the year in Carson City and 1.3 percentage points over the year in Reno/Sparks. Las Vegas added a seasonally-adjusted 4,400 jobs, while Reno/Sparks saw a seasonally-adjusted loss of 1,100 jobs. Carson City saw a seasonally adjusted loss of 200 jobs. Over the year, however, Las Vegas has added 24,300 jobs, while Reno/Sparks gained 7,100. Carson City’s job levels remain unchanged over the year. “This month’s unemployment rates mark the lowest December rates for the metro areas since 2007, except in Reno, where the December rate hasn’t been lower since 2006,” Anderson said in a press release. “The metro areas experienced similar patterns of improvement as the state as a whole, which saw the lowest unemployment rate in December in nine years, at 5.1 percent. Despite some volatility over the month in job growth, gains were positive or steady over the year in all three metro areas.”